Kingfisher delivers 'most complete game' to rout McLoud in first game without head coach

KINGFISHER — A tumultuous week ended with a resounding victory.

One day after longtime Kingfisher head football coach Jeff Myers was placed on administrative leave, the Yellowjackets needed to quickly regroup under interim head coach Stan Blundell.

The upheaval in the program served as motivation to the current players.

“Nothing changed around here,” senior defensive end/tight end Jake Reagan said after Kingfisher routed McLoud, 42-3, in a Class 3A District 1 prep football game Thursday night at Kingfisher High School. “We have had the same people. Coach B is a great coach, so had all the same people and now we have someone to play for. Glad we could do that for him and we are going to keep on rolling through these next two.”

Myers was charged with felony child neglect after the conclusion of a long investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that was precipitated by a 2021 lawsuit from a former player that alleged hazing among players with Myers’ knowledge.

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“We lost Coach Myers and that is a big part,” senior defensive back/receiver Hunter Delozier said. “We all drove to succeed for him tonight.”

Delozier got things off to a rousing start for Kingfisher (3-5, 3-2 Class 3A District 1) with a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown on McLoud’s fourth offensive play from scrimmage.

“I saw the guy going on a quick out route and I went to go bite on it,” Delozier said. “Had to take it to the house. … We had one last game and it boosted us a lot. Then this game, fourth play, you saw the score. We kept rolling.”

Delozier’s touchdown was just the beginning of a dominant defensive effort for the Yellowjackets, which allowed less than 200 total yards, recorded five sacks, intercepted two passes and kept McLoud out of the end zone.

“We were just working hard on all parts of defense,” said Reagan, who posted 2.5 sacks. “We were getting pressure from the back side, so I was able to come in from my side and make the plays. It worked out great for us.”

Junior defensive end Daniel Guerrero registered a sack and a half, junior middle linebacker Chace Cooper added a sack and senior cornerback Damien Haynes intercepted a pass. On offense, sophomore quarterback Jhett Birdwell threw for 187 yards and three touchdowns, while senior tailback Dallen Barton ran for a pair of scores.

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“It was all pretty much up to the linemen,” Barton said. “They made those big holes. Just got to be patient and wait, hit them up and just take it to the house.”

Reagan caught a short touchdown pass from Birdwell, while both Haynes and senior tailback Ethan Karcher caught short tosses and sprinted for long scores of 65 and 52 yards, respectively.

“It was the most complete game,” Blundell said. “They did well. … They are in a tough situation. We have got a lot of people in the community that really support them. … They want to continue playing.”

Sophomore receiver Zaylun Matlock had six receptions for 81 yards for McLoud (4-4, 3-2), which will visit 3A No. 4 Perkins-Tryon on Oct. 27.

Kingfisher has now won all nine of its meetings with McLoud and will visit North Rock Creek next week.

“Keep on practicing hard and getting after it,” Reagan said. “Just do our best.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Kingfisher beats McLoud without coach